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Art Exhibit Opening at Cape Cod National Seashore

As Cape Cod National Seashore's 50th anniversary year comes to a close, visitors to Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham will have the opportunity to experience how the Outer Cape resources preserved within the National Seashore have inspired artists over the decades.

"A Measure of Solitude" will open on November 5 and close on December 31. The exhibit includes fine art, crafts, and writings. It is a joint exhibition by the not-for-profit Outer Cape Artist in Residency Consortium and the Provincetown Community Compact. Both organizations offer artist and writer residencies in the National Seashore's dune shacks. The Dune Shacks of Peaked Hill Bars Historic District in Provincetown and Truro is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is significant for its association with the historic development of art and literature in America. The artist-in-residence program is one way the arts tradition is perpetuated in the historic district. The organizations also offer annual grants which include competitive awards to spend time enjoying the solitude of the dune shacks.

The exhibition is one of several throughout 2011 that commemorated Cape Cod National Seashore's 50th anniversary. On August 7, 1961 President Kennedy signed legislation establishing the National Seashore.

Other exhibitions in the 50th anniversary series included historic images; landscape artwork developed by Nauset Regional High School art students; national seashore-inspired quilts; Wampanoag culture; and art and literature inspired by the beauty of the national seashore.

If you go:Salt Pond Visitor Center is located at the intersection of Route 6 and Nauset Road in Eastham and is open daily from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM.The center includes a lobby with expansive views of Salt Pond, Nauset Marsh, and the Atlantic; a museum featuring the park's natural and cultural stories; staff to assist with trip planning, and a store with books, maps, puzzles, games, t-shirts, and 50th anniversary commemorative items. There are short films shown throughout the day. The Buttonbush and Nauset Marsh Trails, and the Nauset Bike Trail are located nearby. For more information on Cape Cod National Seashore programs call 508-255-3421, or check the park's website, www.nps.gov/caco.

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 395 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more atwww.nps.gov.